Electrical apparatus



Aug. 19, 1952 A. c. TEN GATE ,6 7,

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed July 8, 1948 2 SHEETS--SHEET 1 %34 \QREJECT ON INVEN TOR. ARTHUR c. 72w can:

mum MA Aug. 19, 1952 A. c. TEN CATE 2,607,596

ELECiIRICAL APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed July 8, 1948 a l V IN VEN TOR.

ART/10k C TEN 647E 6PM 41m Attorr ex Patented Aug. 19, 1952 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Arthur-C. Ten Cate Downers Grove. Ill., assignor to Oak Mfg. 00., Chicago, 111.; a. corporation of Illinois Application July 8, 1948,v Serial No..37,551

9 Claims. (Cl. 274-10) This invention relates to an automatic record changer construction and particularly to that portion of a changer for feeding'records. The invention hereinafter disclosed provides feeding means operating against-the edge of records and is adapted to -move the records in their own plane. In the record changers to which this invention pertains, the records or a stack of records are generally supported on a spindle provided with a suitable offset or cam with each record being adapted to be moved in its own plane tov permit the same to drop down on a turntable. Certain portions of' the construction disclosed andclaimed herein are disclosed in a eo-pending application, S. N: 785.856 filed November 14, 1947, now Patent Number The: invention will 'now be described in. connection with the drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a top planview of a. record. changer embodying the invention with the turntable partly'broken away. Fig.- 2' is a. sectional View on broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of therecord feeding means used infthe construction disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2-. Fig. 4:. is' anv elevation. of. the

feeding member shown in Fig. 3- removed from the remainder of the apparatus. Fig; 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a record changer utilizing a modified feed construction. Fig. 6 is afsectional view on broken line 6.-6 ofFig. 5. Fig. '7 is a top plan: viewof' the. feeding portion of the changer shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig.8 is an elevation of the feeding member shown in Fig. '7' removed from the: remainder of the apparatus.

The changer comprises baseboard or motorboard] llv preferably of sheet steel or the likeupon which. the entire apparatus is mounted. Baseboard Il] may have any desired shape and, as shown here, is, generally rectangularhav-ing circular well II in the central portion. thereof. Centrally disposed in well I l is spindle l2 having straight portion l3; the upperend'of which hastapered bent portion 14 terminating in offset tip portion l5. Spindle I2 is stationary and is supported-in sleeve .ll rigidly attached to: well ll. Sleeve I! has set screw 1- adapted to bear against flat face [9 of portion I3. on thespindle. The spindle-is mounted so that bent portion I l extends toward corner of the baseboard.

Turntable 25. has centralportion 26 and depending fianged rim 2'! adapted to. fit within well ll. Turntable 25-is driven by-amotor and suitable means not. shown. The motormay be controlled by pushbutton 34; s y

Tone arm 36. of any desired construction is provided. This tone arm is pivotally mounted at 31 for vertical movement. Suitablemeansnot shown may be provided foroperatingthe tone arm inv orderto lift the same and torotate the "same during arecord changer cycle for proper changer operation. As an examplejthe means disclosed and claimed in the application referred to previously may be used. Other armelevating and driving means may alsobeused as desired.

' Disposed in the corner of the motorboard ad'- jacent the tone arm pivot is'a rotary earn assembly for feeding records. Thus motorboard l0 carries journal portion within which is disposed pin 6| for rotary movement. The journal axis and'pinare preferably inclined'from the vertical toward the spindle axis; this being the *axisof straight portions 13 The angle of inclination. may vary and, in practice, may be of the order of about 10; Disposed above journal portion 60 is auxiliary journal'portion 52. Portion 62 has tongue til-cooperating with a slot in journal portion 60; whereby auxiliary portion '62 may be located in either one of" two positions, these positions being 180 apart; Pin BI extends up into "auxiliary-"journal 62 .and carries gear 65 at the upper end of the pin. Between gear 65 and a shoulder in journal portion 62, spring 66 is disposed around the pin to bias auxiliary. portion 62' down. against journal poritionfili. Portion. S2-'carries' pivot pin 6] parallel to but ofiset from pin-6i; Pivot pin 6.! has pinion 68 disposed on the same and meshing with gear 65. Pinion 68 and gear 65- have a one to one .ge'ar ratio. Thus when portion 62fi-is turned with respect to part 60 itxwill be found that pinion 68 is turned 360withrespect to its own axis. Figures 1' and. 2 show' the two possible positions for. this part for; two record sizes; the dottedv line position being record.

Pinion 68yis, rigidly-attached to memberzi'lfl, functioning as-a combined record supportingzand feeding member. Member! 8 has central portion H and stepped ledges 12 and I3. Ledges-Hand 13 have coincident leadingledges-"W and -15. The step betweenrledge- 12 and. ledge 13-. is generally perpendicular to the plane of theseledges and forms two-arcuate surfaces Hi-and. .11 joined by intermediate cam surface 18.. The height of these surfaces is no greater thanthe thickness of. asingleg recordz It will-benoted that surface 1-1 hasa greater radius than surfacel-fi- The width of ledge l3 should-be greater to support the edgeportionof a record while the. angular extent of ledge 13 should be such that the trailing edge will clear for-a 10 line position as shown; V

The means for accomplishing the above oscilknown in the art and may be utilized.

a record when member has been moved to its dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. The leading portion of ledge I2 bounded by surface I6 should be narrow enough so'that the edge of a record may bear against the surface. The trailing portion of ledge 72 bounded by surface 1 'I! should be wide enough so that this trailing portion may, slide ,under the record. above the bottom-one and support the same. The angular extent of ledge I2 should be such that the trailingportion will still be under a record when member Iii is in its dotted line position as shown in Fig. 3.

The stepped ledges are generally fiat and lie inplanes substantially perpendicular to the axis of pin '6I. However, the trailing portion of the lower ledge has surface 80 dropping down toward the turntable. This is shown in Fig. 4. Trail- 1% portion 80 of the lower ledge may be substantially flat and somewhat lower than the plane of the ledge proper.

Member lll'carries reoordretaining block 82, having active face 83 for bearing against the edge .of a. stack of records in position during the feeding action. In the normal position of member 10, record retaining part 82 has active face -83 opposed to spindle l2. Face 83 extends down so that the edge of a bottom record which normally engages surfac .16 is engaged by cam surface. I8; As shown in Fig. 3, the rocking range is about 90, although this may be varied. This causes the bottom record of a stack to .be moved in its own plane toward spindle I2. Further turning movement ofmember Ill brings surface]? into engagement with the edge of the bottom record to maintain the record in feeding position. S-loping surface 89 of lower ledge I3 aids in this feeding action. Records above the bottom are supported by the outer part of ledge I2. When'member Ill reaches the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 3, the bottom record will have dropped. Reverse movement of member "19 in counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figures land 3 returns member I9 lation may be as disclosed and claimed in the application previously referred to. Other means for rocking member I0 over its prescribed range at proper times during a changer cycle are well It is understood that the means engaging a diametrically opposed part of the bottom record to be described, aids in the record feeding action.

Disposed in corner 20 of the motor board is 'a-me'ans for supporting the edge portion of. the bottom record only of a stack at, a point on the locking the record supporting member in position. Record supporting member 93 has rigidly to its normal full attached thereto pin extending downwardly as shown in Fig. 2 through journal 99 and below the motorboard. Pin 95 carries washer 99 at the bottom end thereof and has spring 97 around the pin between washer 96 and the bottom of the motorboard. It will be evident that spring 91 biases record retaining member 93 downwardly against journal 90.

Member 93 may be pulled vertically up against the bias due to spring 91 and be locked in one of two positions apart. In either of these positions, one being for 10" records and the other for 12" records, record supporting member 93 extends generally radially of the turntable. Record-supporting member 93 has elongated body Hit supporting two spaced upstanding posts HH and IE2. These posts in either of the positions of member 93 are along a radius from the center of the turntable.

Posts I0! and I02 are generally similar. Thus each of the posts, shown in greater detail in Figure 9, has a pair of jaws I93 and I94 defining generally horizontal slot I85 having a .width somewhat greater than the width of a single record but less than the width of. two records. Jaw I 04 preferably has the slot side tapered at the bottom. Disposed within slot Nil-ids plunger I98 urged forward toward the slot opening by spring I 99 carried by block I IEl on. the post.

Post H32 generally has the same construction as post Jill and as shown in Figure 2 is adapted to be in one of tw positions for accommodating either 10" or 12" records; In one position, the 12" record position shown in full line in Figures 1 and 2, post I91 cooperates with a record 7 while'post I02 is inoperative. In the dotted line position obtained by raising member 93 and rotating the same 180 and then dropping the same into locking position, post I02 is operative to support a record while post I Ill is inoperative. It is understood that the adjustments of record feeding member ID and record supporting member 93'must be made so that both operate on the same size record together. Suitable means may be provided for moving these two members simultaneously;

In all record changers, means must be provided for controlling the drop of the tone arm so that the needle is started at the edge of a record. Thus the tone arm drop for a 10" record will be different than for a 12 record. In order to provide for this, Never H5 coupled to washer 96 may extend to suitable means not shown for controlling the dropping point of the tone arm. It-will be evident that the position of lever H5 will be governed by the position of record supporting member 93. Means cooperating with lever M5 for controlling the position of the tone arm drop are described in the application previously identified. Other means well known in the art may be used.

The changer mechanism so far described is adapted for use with means for rocking or oscillating' record feeding member ID. It is possible, however, to provide a record feeding member operating generally along the same lines as shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive with the exception that the record feeding member is turned in one direction only, it being understood however that the movement-of the record feeding member is intermittent and occurs only when a record changing cycle is to occur. Such a modification is illu trated in Figures 5-8 inclusive.

Referring now to Figures 5-8 inclusive the mechanism is generally similar to the mechanism previously described with the following exception. Pin 6| is adapted to be turned in one direction only for 360 for each changer cycle. Pin 6| carries pinion 65' which meshes with pinion 58 as in Figure 2. The journal and mounting and adjustment for 10" and 12" records is the same in both Figures 2 and 6. Record feeding member 10' however differs from member 10 in Figure 2. Member III has central portion 'H' surrounded by stepped ledges 12' and I3. Ledge 13' has sloping portion 80' terminating in record supporting lip 80a. Ledges 12' and 13' are con nected by sloping portion 80b so that in effect a continuous inclined circular record support is provided beginning with part 80a along 13' and 80b to I2. Ledge portion 12' terminates in portion 14'.

The stepped ledges generally lie in planes substantially perpendicular to the axis of pin Bl as in Figure 2 it being understood however, that sloping portions 80' and 801)- are excepted. The inner portion of these ledges terminate in gen erally cylindrical surface 83 which may have any desired height and preferably extends upwardly for a distance corresponding to the thickness of several records. This portion of the changer in general corresponds to face 83 in Figures 1-4 inclusive. Head portion 83a may be provided for the sake of appearance.

The portion of the mechanism diametrically opposite member 10 is shown as being the same as in Figures 1-4 inclusive. It is understood that the corresponding record support disclosed in the application previously identified may be used in the two modifications disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic record changer of the drop type having a turntable with a stationary spindle having an offset portion for sup-porting a stack of records with the bottom record movable edgewise into dropping position, the combination of a record feeding member, means for mounting said record feeding member for movement about a generally vertical axis, said record feeding member being disposed to support a record stack at one edge portion and being adapted to move the bottom record into dropping position, said member comprising a pair of generally concentric stepped arcuate ledges, the bottom ledge being nearer the spindle, said two ledges being separated by a generally vertical arcuate wall having a height no more than the thickness of one record, said top ledge tapering in width to provide a cam surface on said wall for moving the edge of the bottom record toward the spindle upon rotation of said record feeding member, said bottom ledge having two portions of different thicknesses connected by a sloping ledge portion, the thinner ledge portion being in the trailing part thereof, said sloping ledge portion being angularly displaced from the cam wall portion so that upon rotary movement of said member the record above the bottom may drop to the lower ledge when the bottom record has been dropped upon the turntable, said record feeding member normally being in a position where the lower ledge supports the bottom record of a stack and when said changer begins to cycle and turns said member, said cam wall engages a record edge and, upon further movement of said member, said sloping ledge portion comes in under the succeeding bottom record after which said member is moved to its normal position and means for supporting only the edge of the bottom record at a point diametrically opposed to the point of support of said record feeding member.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein means are provided for oscillating said record feeding member, the ledges having an angular extent of substantially less than 360.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein members are provided for moving said record feeding member in one direction only and wherein said stepped and sloping ledges form a continuous record supporting surface around the member.

4. The structure according'to claim 1 wherein said record feeding member has a portion above the top ledge provided with a generally vertical face for engaging the edges of records above the bottom of the stack.

5. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the ledges have an angular extent of substantially less than 360 and wherein said member has a portion rising above the ledges to provide a generally vertical face for engaging the edges of the records above the bottom.

6. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said stepped and sloping ledges form a continuous record supporting surface around the member and wherein said member has a portion providof records above the bottom record.

7. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said last named means comprises a vertical post having a generally horizontal slot.

8. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said means for moving said member includes a pair of meshing pinions having a one to one ratio, means for mounting said record feeding member upon one pinion, means for mounting said one pinion so that it may be moved as a planetary gear around the other pinion as a sun gear, said pinions having their axes generally vertical and wherein means are provided for locking said record feeding member in one of two positions 360 apart with reference to the axis of said one pinion whereby said member may be moved toward or away from the spindle for accommodating different size records.

9. The structure according to claim 8 wherein said last named means comprises a post carrying two slotted members, the slots being generally in a horizontal plane, said'slotted members normally being in line with the spindle and means for locking said slotted members in either of two positions 180 apart to bring one of the slotted members into cooperating position with a record, said two slotted members being adapted to support 10 or 12" records.

ARTHUR C. TEN GATE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,299,633 Knox et a1 Oct. 20, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 281,003 Great Britain Nov. 23, 1927 69,805 Norway Dec. 10, 1945 

